Texts in Conversation
In the Hebrew version of Judges, the Levite’s concubine leaves him, and says she was unfaithful to him, placing the blame on her. The Greek Septuagint says only that she went away, with no claim of unfaithfulness before the violence that follows.
Share:
2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Judges 19:2
Hebrew Bible
1 In those days Israel had no king. There was a Levite living temporarily in the remote region of the Ephraimite hill country. He acquired a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah. 2 However, she was unfaithful to him* and went home to her father’s house in Bethlehem in Judah. When she had been there four months, 3 her husband came after her, hoping he could convince her to return. He brought with him his servant and a pair of donkeys. When she brought him into her father’s house and the girl’s father saw him, he greeted him warmly.
LXX Judges 19:2
Septuagint
1 There was a man of the Levites dwelling in the flanks of the hill country of Ephraim. He took for himself a woman, a concubine, from Bethlehem of Judah. 2 And his concubine went away from him, departing from him to the house of her father in Bethlehem of Judah; and she was there a time of four months. 3 Her husband arose and went after her to speak to her heart for her to return to him. He had his young man with him and also a pair of donkeys, and this one brought him into her father’s house. The father of the young woman saw him, and he was gladdened in his meeting.
Search:
Notes and References
... While the Masoretic Text Judges 19:2 states that the concubine “was unfaithful to him” (ותזנה עליו), the Septuagint (Codex Alexandrinus) reads ὠργίσθη (“she was angry”). For some, then, the Masoretic Text reflects an error, whereby the scribe copied ותזנה (“she was unfaithful”) instead of ותזנח (“she rejected”). See, e.g., Daniel I. Block, Judges, Ruth, NAC 6 (Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1999), 523. Soggin points to the Akkadian cognate zenû, “to be angry,” as a potential alternative for the root, noting that “in no way” can this verse indicate that the woman betrayed him (Judges, 284). Still others consider a metaphorical reading of the Masoretic Text verb (see, e.g., Niditch, Judges: A Commentary, 191); in any case, what is most important is that the woman rejects the Levite ...
Milstein, Sara J.
Tracking the Master Scribe: Revision Through Introduction in Biblical and Mesopotamian Literature
(p. 195) Oxford University Press, 2016
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
Your Feedback:
Leave a Comment
Anonymous comments are welcome. All comments are subject to moderation.